


Boot Camp II

by Tinylimey1



Category: Garrison's Gorillas
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-26
Updated: 2020-04-26
Packaged: 2021-03-01 22:40:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,492
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23864647
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tinylimey1/pseuds/Tinylimey1
Comments: 4
Kudos: 7





	Boot Camp II

Boot Camp II  
By ‘Tiny Limey’

I would like to thank ‘Kittystitch’ for generously letting me join in with her idea and for her help. Please read her excellent story ‘Boot Camp’ before this (if you haven’t already!) Boot Camp II is written as a light-hearted counter balance to her brilliant work.  
I would also like to thank Lill, a fellow writer of mine, for her help.  
It would help to watch ‘The Grab’ and at least the beginning of ’48 hours to Doomsday.’

Lieutenant Garrison, U. S. Army, pulled his jeep to a halt at a British Army Base not far from where he was currently stationed just on the outskirts of London. In the jeep with him were two members of the Maquis, Emile Boucher and Etienne Durand. They had just spent three days ‘training’ with Actor and Goniff and were now going to meet Casino and Chief and change places with the two young men who were coming back with Garrison to ‘train’ with Actor and Goniff.  
This was the second group of trainees that Finch had ordered them to train. Garrison did not object to this aspect of their work. It gave his men a break and if what he suspected was true, they would need it. A particularly difficult mission was coming up at the weekend but he would deal with that when the time came.  
The guard at the gate halted the jeep and took Garrison’s identity card.  
“Good morning, Sir. You are expected. You know where to go?”  
“Yes, thank you, Corporal.”  
Garrison drove past a long line of Nissan huts and parked just behind the last one. Casino and Chief were waiting for him. As the two Frenchmen went into the hut to greet their countrymen and unpack, Garrison took the opportunity to speak to his men.  
“You both okay?”  
“Sure, Warden,” Chief told him.  
“You have three days to teach Emile and Etienne as much as you can. I’ll take Lammert and Julien back with me. Do you have everything you need?”  
“Yeah, these Limeys are okay when you get to know them,” Casino answered. “What happens on Friday then?”  
“The army here will take Emile and Etienne to the R. A. F. base. They will be dropped back just outside Paris. Sergeant Major Rawlins will come for you and bring you back to the mansion.” 

As Garrison drove through the gates of the mansion, Julien asked, “Who are we to meet now, Sir?”  
“No need to call me Sir, just Craig will do fine. You will meet Actor and Goniff. Actor is a con man, well educated, speaks five or so languages fluently. He may speak more, we don’t know. He’s an expert at assuming different characters. Goniff is a cockney…”  
“Excuse me,” Julian said, “What is a ‘cockney?’”  
“A cockney is a person born within the sound of the bells of Bow church. That’s an area of London. He is considered to be the best second-storey burglar and pick pocket and he has an extremely good knowledge of alarm and security systems. I think you will find the next three days a lot less strenuous than your work with Chief and Casino.”  
“We’ve enjoyed it,” Lammert commented. “We have all sorts of expertise in the underground but we’ve never met anyone like Chief and Casino.”  
Garrison smiled slightly. “No, neither had I until the last year or so.” He changed the subject, “Have you been with the underground long?”  
“About six months.” Julien sighed. “We were at university when the Germans invaded and we decided the best thing we could do was fight. We were studying economics but now we study guns and destruction and everything that goes with it.”  
Garrison glanced at the young man sitting beside him. Neither of the Frenchmen looked despondent but he wondered whether they would survive to the end of the war. These two were young and idealistic. The world would need people like them when this insanity was over.  
The least he and his men could do would be to equip them to work effectively and hopefully survive. It would be so different from working with his men.  
Julien caught his glance, “Don’t worry about us, Craig. I’ve got to survive to marry my beautiful Lisa.”  
“Ignore that,” Lammert said, “She’s my beautiful Lisa.”  
Maybe, Garrison thought, it wouldn’t be so different from working with his men after all.

The first two days went well. Julien and Lammert settled in almost immediately with Actor, who was on the same intellectual level as the Frenchmen and with Goniff, with his usual infectious friendliness. Garrison even heard laughter as Goniff had them climbing onto the roof of the mansion to demonstrate how to scale walls, before showing them exactly how to bypass all the alarm systems on the building. Garrison knew that Goniff and Casino had done it before but he didn’t make them play by the rules and had let it go. Actor tested them on their German language skills which proved to be excellent, then moved on to making sure they knew the different ranks and badges of the various German regiments.

Later the following evening Garrison was interrupted from his paperwork by a knock on his office door. “Come in.”  
Actor entered the office and sat in the chair on the other side of Garrison’s desk. “We would like permission to take Lammert and Julien down to the village.”  
“What do you have in mind?”  
Actor lit his pipe and sat back, instantly totally at ease, managing somehow to make it look as if he owned the place. “I think it would be a good idea if they spent an hour just watching people going about their business but in my way of watching people, how they walk, body language, the ways they dress and so forth.”  
Garrison crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair. “You said ‘we’ would like to take them down to the village – what is Goniff planning?”  
“He wants to demonstrate a bit of practical pick-pocketing.”  
“You know the rule … “  
“Anything we take we put back.”  
Garrison tossed him his jeep keys. Just when had he come to trust these men so much? “Try not to get arrested, I’m getting a bad name with the local police.”

Goniff, Actor and the two Frenchmen sat on a bench opposite the village library.  
“You ‘ave to distract your victim, you see,” Goniff told them. “The next person who comes out of the library I’m going to dip. Keep your eyes peeled.” Almost immediately he got up and crossed the road as a middle aged lady came out of the library carrying a pile of books. Goniff appeared to walk into her by accident and her books scattered themselves on the steps of the building. With a flurry of apology and a disarming smile, Goniff bent to help her pick them up and like lightening took her purse from her coat pocket. After making sure she was okay, he re-crossed the road as she walked away. Opening his hand he showed them the purse. “Now according to the Warden I have to give it back,” he commented somewhat disappointed. Running back across the road he caught up with his victim and gave her another innocent smile, “Excuse me, I think you must have dropped this.”  
“Oh.” The lady checked her pockets in alarm and then took back the purse. “Thank you so much. It’s nice to meet such an honest gentleman.”  
“Er … well, mind how you go.”  
“He’s quick,” Lammert commented.  
“Yes, he is,” Actor agreed with a small smile, imagining what Casino and Chief’s reaction would be to Goniff actually giving back his spoils. Privately he wondered if Goniff had pocketed something else along with the purse but he would probably never know.  
“Now,” he said, “watch her. What do you see?”  
“She’s embarrassed,” Julien said, “and, how do you say it, flustered?”  
“She’s walking faster and trying not to run,” Lammert added.  
“Exactly. Now what can you tell about the army captain doing some window shopping outside the tailors? Watch the way he walks.”  
Goniff joined them. “Who are we spying on now?”  
“The good Captain over there.”  
The Frenchmen studied him for a few moments. “He has a slight limp, maybe an injury in action,” Julien said.  
“How old would you say he was, Lammert?”  
“About 30? Looks can be deceptive though.”  
“That is precisely the point. Appearance is very important. Always remember that. Most people will initially take you at face value. Then you act fast before they have had time to think. Most Germans are trained to obey. We have found that if you go in dressed as SS and simply demand what you want, there is a reasonable chance they won’t ask for your papers. That is not guaranteed, of course. Talking about appearances, this evening I will show you some makeup tricks.”  
“He knows about make up,” Goniff put in. “When the others get back at the end of the week, ask Casino about ‘the lady with the baby’ con.”  
At the puzzled looks from the two young men, Actor simply commented, “One of my finer theatrical achievements.”  
The next hour passed with Goniff pointing out various buildings and explaining how he would find ways in and more importantly, ways out and Actor drawing their attention to ‘reading’ people’s mannerisms. This was consolidated by the necessary and very important business of studying people in ‘The Doves’ before heading back to the mansion.

GGGGGGGGG

Leaving Actor to demonstrate his skill at disguising, Goniff made his way to the kitchen to find a cup of tea, passing the open door of the Warden’s office as he did so. It really wasn’t his fault if the voices in the office were loud enough to be heard in the corridor as he just happened to pause to tie his shoelace. Garrison was talking to the Sergeant Major.  
“What did General Finch want?”  
“He asked that you ring him and report how things are going. He is leaving for London at 20.00 tomorrow night, Sir.”  
‘That’s fine.”  
Goniff froze, silently listening and then just as silently and with a large grin on his face made his way to the kitchen. 

GGGGGGGGGGG

Actor waited until Lammert and Julien had left for their quarters for the night, then watching Goniff playing cards he asked,  
“What is it? You have been looking like the cat that got the cream all evening.”  
“I’ve got an idea.”  
“This is good, is it?”  
Goniff ignored the sarcasm. “How about we give them a test?”  
“Experience in the field, so to speak? We cannot recreate the conditions under which we work.”  
“No, but they are used to avoiding the Jerries.” Goniff explained what he had overheard. “We set up a diversion on the road to Finch’s Headquarters, Lammert and Julien hi-jack the car going to pick up Finch then they go into the army camp, right into the Headquarter’s building, con everyone into believing they are Finch’s driver and escort and pick up Finch. I don’t like Finch, anyway.”  
“Nobody likes Finch.” Actor sat back in his armchair and considered the proposal. After a moment he found his gaze attracted to the suit of armour in which he had once hidden Neville Chamberlain’s umbrella when they had ‘liberated’ a number of articles from the local museum. “Very tempting as it is, I have another idea. How would you feel about a little retribution?”  
“Eh?”  
“You recall Mr. Braithwaite from the museum?”  
“The bloke who made me return the music box I nabbed for my Mum.”  
“Yes, and my umbrella, Chief’s knife and Casino’s diamond.”  
“Yeah, we pinched those fair ‘n’ square.”  
Actor smiled slightly, “There is another ‘mission’ we could set for them. What about … “

GGGGGGG

The following morning Sergeant Major Rawlings sat on the steps to the house enjoying the summer sunshine. He watched as the two Frenchmen practised their knife throwing skills, aiming at a large log, with the blades that Chief had apparently given them the week before. He could relax. These two were honest young men who worked on their volition. They didn’t need encouraging, or cajoling or bullying and he didn’t worry that things would go missing from anywhere. He didn’t even mind that they jabbered away in French, because he didn’t have to worry in case they were planning something. These last two weeks had been almost like a holiday for him. He knew that this would come to an end when Casino and Chief returned. Then the trainees would leave in a few days and things would go back to normal, whatever normal was round here but just for now he could relax. Reaching into his pocket for his cigarettes and lighter he found nothing. Obviously Goniff had been at it again. He looked up as the Frenchmen approached him. They were smiling broadly. One of them had his cigarettes and the other his lighter.  
“Sorry, Sarge,” Lammert said. “Goniff wants us to practice.” 

Actor and Goniff also watched Lammert and Julien from their barred window.  
“They’re free, you know,” Goniff commented, suddenly aware of the difference between their situation and his and Actor’s lives. “They don’t have to go back if they don’t want to. They can do anything they want. The army would snap them up.”  
Actor glanced at his fellow con. It was unusual, but not unknown, for Goniff to reflect on things but the cockney usually bounced back. Of all of them he was sometimes the most optimistic.  
“We will be free, one day … when we have won the war,” Actor replied. “In the meantime, we have plans to implement.”  
“Where are Julien and Lammert?” Actor and Goniff turned at the familiar voice. They hadn’t heard Garrison enter the room.  
Goniff gestured to the window. “Have a gander at this, Warden, they’re pretending to be Chiefy.”  
Garrison crossed the room and watched for a few minutes, “Not bad, not bad at all.” He turned to his two men, “You said something about plans.”  
“You remember Mr. Braithwaite?” Goniff asked.  
Garrison sat down at the table. He had an uneasy feeling about this. “From the museum.”  
“Yeah, well, Actor’s got this idea.”  
Garrison folded his arms and waited.  
“Are you familiar with the steps that the Louvre has taken to hide their treasures from the Nazis?”  
“Not in any detail. I know the museum was cleared just in time.”  
“Yes, the exhibits I believe have probably been moved to the Chateau de Chambord, and from there I think it is planned to move everything clandestinely to various chateaux, museums and abbeys to avoid detection. At least that is what Jacques Jaujard, the Director of the Musees Nationaux told me he intended to do if war broke out.”  
“You know him?”  
“I … met him … once. A clever man. He will not remember me. At least I hope not.”  
“Go on.”  
“It is important that our students have experience at pulling off a confidence trick or two. So far they have plenty of experience in demolition, blowing up railways and bridges and so forth and they can handle weapons but face to face experience is different. With the necessary papers and a letter from Jaujard, I think our friends could tell Braithwaite that they are assistant curators for the Louvre and convince him that they want the museum to take one of the art works for safe keeping, as the museum did with the Van Loon we rescued. Then they must persuade him to show them the museum’s security, safes, etc.” Hastily he reassured Garrison. “Don’t worry, Warden, we’re not after anything. Lammert and Julian are honest men. We don’t want to land them in trouble. The whole point is that persuading Braithwaite to take the painting is simply asking him to do something he would want to do and that should be easy. Getting him to show them the security system will probably be against all his rules. That is the point of the test, to get him to do something he doesn’t want to do. Just think, Warden, this is child’s play compared to the fact that they may have to face the SS.”

Garrison lit a cigarette and offered them round as he thought about the idea. In a way Actor was right. If it helped them to do the jobs they may have to face and to keep them alive as well, then …. at least life was never dull with his four men. They always came up with the unexpected.  
“I would then have to go to Braithwaite and tell him he had been conned and apologise.”  
“Not necessarily, there need be no trail back to us. They could tell Braithwaite that if the painting does not arrive in a week, then they have changed their plans and, of course, all this is top secret and he must mention it to no-one. Our friends will be back in France by then with no connection to us. It’s masterful in its simplicity.”  
“It’s immoral.”  
Actor and Goniff’s laughter echoed round the room.  
“Of course it’s immoral – lying always is,” Actor said. “It is nothing compared to some of the cons I have pulled off.”  
Garrison considered for a moment. “Okay. What do you need?”  
“First of all the use of a typewriter and then some decent suits for Julien and Lammert.”  
“I’ll get the Sergeant Major to lend you his typewriter. Explain the plan to our friends.”  
Garrison crossed to the window at the sound of a jeep pulling up. “Casino and Chief are back.”

GGGGGGGGGGGGGG

Later that evening over supper Actor explained the plan in detail.  
“Beautiful,” Casino laughed. “I’d love to see the expression on Braithwaite’s face.”  
Chief said nothing, a small smile playing on his face.  
Actor handed the Frenchmen some papers. “Here is a letter supposedly from Jaujard. I’ve just scribbled a signature. It probably would not stand up to close scrutiny but it’s the best we can do. You can use your own papers if he wants to check your identity.”  
“Will you be coming?” Julian asked.  
“No, we know him … or rather he knows us, shall we say.”  
We can ‘bug’ your clothing,” Garrison told them. “We will be able to hear your conversation from our car parked outside.”  
“You can do that?” Lammert queried. “That’s amazing.”  
Goniff grinned, “Warden, you’re becoming devious. You must be mixing with bad company.”  
Garrison ignored him. “Carry on, Actor.”  
“Chief, Casino, you are both about the right size. We will need your suits.” Without waiting for an answer, Actor turned again to the Frenchmen. “Remember, you don’t need to tell Braithwaite very much because everything is top secret, of course. Just read through the information I have typed out for you and make sure you know it off by heart. Any questions?”  
“What do we do if he doesn’t believe us?” Lammert asked.  
“It’s your job to make sure he does, it is quite that simple,” Actor told them bluntly. “I don’t see why he should not believe you if you do it with sincerity. You have to ‘believe’ it yourself to make him believe it. Do it with confidence. Remember, you ARE assistant curators from the Louvre. This is nothing compared with the possibility that one day you may have to con the SS. You can do it, I know you can. You have had me to teach you.”  
“Modesty,” Casino told them, “is not one of Actor’s strong points.”  
“You can say that again,” Chief quietly put in.  
Garrison intervened before this line of conversation got out of hand. “Good luck, gentlemen. You should get back here late morning. I’ve had word from the R.A.F. They are flying you back to France tomorrow night.” 

GGGGGGGGGGG

Early the following morning Garrison, Actor, Casino, Goniff and Chief sat in the car and watched as the Frenchmen crossed the road from the car to the museum.  
“I would have liked to have seen them in suits that fitted better,” Actor commented.  
“They’ll do,” Garrison told him before Casino and Chief could object.

GGGGGGGGGGG

Julien and Lammert crossed the foyer of the museum and approached one of the attendants seated behind the reception desk.  
“We would like to see Monsieur Braithwaite, please.” Lammert gave what he considered his engaging smile and handed over his identity papers.  
The attendance scanned them and handed them back. “Is he expecting you?”  
“No but we do need to speak with him.” Julien handed over his papers.  
“Have a seat, gentlemen. I will ring his secretary and see if he can see you.”

GGGGGGGGGGGG

“So far, so good.” Actor mentally ticked off the check list he had been carrying in his head for them.

GGGGGGGGGGGG

They didn’t have long to wait before a young woman came down the stairs into the foyer. About twenty years old and more than attractive, she smiled charmingly at the visitors and extended her hand to them. “Good morning, I am Mary Hunt, Mr. Braithwaite’s secretary.” Automatically the Frenchmen stood and each took her hand and kissed it. Suddenly neither of them wanted to go back to Paris.  
“I believe you wish to see Mr. Braithwaite.”  
“Er …” Thrown for a second by the woman in front of him Julien almost stumbled but recovered himself. “Yes, we have business to discuss with him.”

GGGGGGGGGGGGG

Actor flinched, “Not ‘er’ … he almost let his guard down over a woman.”  
“Pot calling the kettle black,” Chief muttered.  
“I have never let myself be unsettled by a woman,” Actor told him imperiously. “Now shut up, I want to hear this.”

GGGGGGGGGGGGGG

“Can I tell him what you wish to see him about, gentlemen?”  
“It’s war business. You will understand if it is for his ears only,” Julien answered.  
Mary smiled, “Yes, I understand. ‘Careless talk costs lives’ as the posters tell us. If you would like to follow me, Mr. Braithwaite can see you in a few minutes.” She led them up the stairs and down a corridor.  
“You have some lovely exhibits here,” Lammert commented.  
“We are fortunate that we can keep them on display at the moment. If the invasion comes it will be a different matter.” She paused outside a door marked ‘R. Braithwaite – Curator’ in gold letters and knocked on the door.  
“Come in.”  
“There you are, gentlemen.” Mary opened the door for them and then turned to go back down the corridor.  
Braithwaite was seated behind his desk. A portly little man, he was very smartly dressed and carried an air of his own importance. .  
“Good morning, gentlemen.” Braithwaite shook their hands and then motioned them to sit down. “My secretary told me who you are. What can I do for you?”  
Lammert seized his chance. Maybe he could appeal to his man’s vanity. “We are here on a matter of international importance. You know of Jacques Jaujard?”  
“The Director of the Musees Nationaux. I have heard of him, of course. I have never met him.”  
Julien produced the letter that Actor had written. “He instructed us to give you this, it confirms our identity. We are here on behalf of the Louvre. We are authorised to tell you that the art works for the Louvre are being moved round France to keep them safe from the Germans. There is a possibility that we may need to move a certain painting to England to keep it safe and then maybe move it on to America. 

Braithwaite read the letter like a man in a dream. Was he really to be responsible for exhibits from the Louvre? His heart beat a little faster. “The letter mentions a painting - it does not say which particular painting.”  
Lammert and Julien deliberately exchanged glances as if weighing up the situation. Then Julien said, “We cannot say but you will know it. It’s not a large painting. I can hint that it is a portrait of a lady with entrancing eyes and an enigmatic smile.”  
Braithwaite almost choked. They couldn’t mean … could they? Could they possibly mean the Mona Lisa? He, the Curator of a little out of the way museum, was to have charge of the Mona Lisa?”  
“I … I quite understand your caution. I, that is, we would be delighted to help you.”

GGGGGGGGGGGG

“That is it, they’ve got him! Now let us see if they can pull off the jackpot.”

GGGGGGGGGGGG

Lammert took the letter back and folded it into the inside pocket of his jacket. “We must be sure of your security arrangements before this can happen.”  
“I understand. You need not worry. We have secure archives and unbreakable safes in a bomb proof cellar.”

GGGGGGGGGGGGG

“I wouldn’t rely on that, baby,” Casino grinned, “I haven’t had a go at them yet.”  
“Don’t even think about it, Casino.”  
“Yeah, yeah, I know.”

GGGGGGGGGGGGG

“We would like to see the cellars,” Julien told him.  
“I’m sorry, I am not allowed to show you. I have to be careful, too. There is a war on.”  
“We understand your caution, but our instructions from Monsieur Jaujard were precise.”  
“I can assure you that our precautions comply with the regulations laid down by the government, otherwise we would not be allowed to function at this time. Our resources are not in this building. They are somewhere known only to me and my senior staff. I have my orders from the Government and their location must be kept secret.”  
Lammert and Julien both shrugged in typical Galic fashion, pretending a deep disappointment. Lammert smiled apologetically. ''We perfectly understand your reasoning, but if we cannot assure ourselves and Monsieur Jaujard that your security for the M.... ahem, the painting is satisfactory then, unfortunately, we cannot recommend its transfer at this time.'' Both men rose and proffered their hands. ''We thank you for your time, maybe.....''  
Braithwaite visibly blanched and became flustered as he saw his prize slipping away like sand through his fingers. ''Wait!'' He rapidly came around his desk. ''Maybe, under these exceptional circumstances and with the obviously superb security clearances you have presented, I might be able to show you the access to our vaults, at least in this building and explain some of our security measures without actually breaching any direct orders.'' He finished breathlessly, almost beseeching the men to reconsider.  
Lammert and Julien looked at each other giving every bit the impression of two men torn by indecision. Then Julien turned to Braithewaite and said, “My colleague and I are agreed to your most excellent compromise.''  
Twenty minutes later, Lammert and Julien were back in Braithwaite’s office and drinking coffee, having been shown round the museum and the basement security by a very proud Braithwaite. “So you can see gentlemen, that we will be more than able to take excellent care of the painting. Monsieur Jaujard need have no concerns.”  
“It all seems satisfactory,” Lammert told him, “I think Monsieur Jaujard would be quite happy with what you have shown us.”  
Braithwaite smiled, very relieved that all had gone well. “Please assure him that we have even more security in various places around the country.”  
“Certainly. Do you have any questions?”  
“Yes. I would like to know how the painting will arrive here.”  
“It will be delivered by someone dressed as a British postman with an ordinary looking parcel. It will be addressed to you personally and marked private and confidential. There will be two small crosses in a corner on the back of the parcel. However, if it does not arrive by the end of this week then you will know that we will have had to change our plans and divert it somewhere else, in which case we would ask you to forget that we have ever been here and to tell no-one,” Julien instructed.  
They rose and shook Braithwaite’s hand. “It was good to meet you, Sir,” Lammert said.  
“It will be a pleasure to help you,” Braithwaite reassured them. “Please give Monsieur Jaujard my compliments.”  
Braithwaite opened the door for them and watched them walk away. He returned to his desk. In the top drawer he kept a small bottle of brandy which he had bought before the war and kept for a special occasion. He poured himself a glass with a shaking hand. The Mona Lisa! He was to have the lady herself here in his museum. Unbelievable!

Remembering Actor’s instructions to keep up the characterisation until well out of sight and sound of the target, Lammert and Julien forbore the temptation to run down the steps of the museum and across to the car. Instead they forced themselves to walk at a steady pace. As they shut the car door Actor said,  
“Top marks. You have passed with flying colours.”

GGGGGGGGGGGGGGG

In the early evening Garrison accompanied Lammert and Julien to their quarters in the staff section of the mansion and ordered coffee to be brought to them. He sat on Julien’s bed as the men packed their few belongings, placing the small box he was carrying on the bed.  
“Compliments of the U. S. army. This is the ‘bugging’ equipment you used this morning. It might be of help to you.”  
Julien put it in his pack. “I am sure we can find a home for this. Thank you.”  
“I will also arrange for the radio parts and some of the armaments that you requested to be dropped to you as soon as possible. Now, has all this ‘training’ been of any use to you?”  
Lammert smiled. “We have learned all sorts of things! Seriously, though, we can now pick some of the simpler locks, we have a basic knowledge of safes and alarm systems, how to hot wire a car, pick pockets and how to throw a knife. We do need a lot of practice at everything. So, yes, it has been extremely useful.”  
“It’s a different world,” Julien said. In answer to Garrison’s puzzled look he continued, “I mean their world. It has been an, what do you say in English, an eye-opener?  
Garrison smiled slightly. “You better believe it.”  
“We have also learned how to cheat at cards!”  
“Why doesn’t that surprise me?”  
“You trust them, though.” It was a statement, not a question.  
“With my life … on more than one occasion.”  
“Where will we be dropped tonight?” Lammert asked.  
“Just outside Paris. Your contact’s code name is ‘Chanson’.  
“We know her. If you ever need us, come to the Café Eiffel in Paris and just ask for ‘Marcel’ and ‘Andre’. We will come.  
“Thank you.” Garrison stood up and opened the door. “I’ll leave you to your packing. When you are ready, the men would like to say goodbye. We’ll be in the common room.

GGGGGGGGGGGGG

“So what happens now, Warden?” Actor lit his pipe and relaxed in one of the arm chairs.  
“We jump into Holland in 48 hours.”  
"You’re joking,” Goniff said. “All this teaching has worn me out. We need a holiday.”  
“No rest for the wicked. What is it this time?”  
“I’ll brief you as soon as our friends have left, Casino. It should be a simple …” he paused as Julien and Lammert entered the room.  
“All set, gentlemen?”  
“Yes, the Sergeant Major will drive us to the airfield in an hour.”  
“Very good.” Garrison turned to his men. “Any last advice for our friends? Goniff?”  
“If you have the chance, always look for a way out before you break into anywhere and if you are going to dip anyone, be fast. Speed is everything.”  
“Casino?”  
“When you’re opening a lock or a safe you need to be able to concentrate and ignore what’s going on round you. It’s not easy but it helps if you have a good person watching your back.”  
“Chief?”  
“Yeah,” Chief turned to face them both square on and said quietly, “As I’ve said before, if you draw that knife, be sure you intend to kill. Then don’t hesitate.”  
“Actor?”  
“In one word, confidence.”  
Garrison turned to the Frenchmen,  
“Any questions, gentlemen?”  
Julien shook his head, “No, I don’t think so. I would just like to thank you all.”  
Lammert agreed. “Yes, we have learned some very useful things. Thank you. Oh, now there was something.” He turned to Casino. “Goniff suggested we ask you to tell us about the ‘lady with the baby’ incident.  
“Oh, he did, did he?” Knowing he could not be rude to the Frenchmen, he realised he was stuck. There was no way he could get out of this. Swiftly he shot Goniff an ‘I’ll get you for this later, Limey’ glare, then ignoring the amused smiles on his colleagues’ faces, he turned to Lammert and Julien. “We had to rescue a baby …”

The End.  
GGGGGGGGGGGGGG

Reader, I leave it to you to imagine the ensuing scene between Casino and Goniff. Maybe someone would like to write it?


End file.
